‘Not immediately frightened’: Himanta Biswa Sarma plays down fears over China’s Brahmaputra dam; cites river’s multiple sources | India News

Himanta Biswa Sarma (File picture)

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday sought to calm fears over China’s transfer to construct the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra river, saying there isn’t any rapid motive to fret.He specified that the Brahmaputra shouldn’t be depending on single water supply and attracts most of its movement from Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and native rainfall.“I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source (of water),” Sarma informed reporters on the sidelines of an occasion.Responding to considerations about attainable downstream results on Assam, the chief minister mentioned it’s too early to say whether or not the result will probably be helpful or dangerous.“Brahmaputra gets most of its waters from Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and the rainwater and other forms of water from our state itself,” he added.Sarma acknowledged that the complete implications of the huge Chinese dam, which started building final week, are nonetheless unclear. “The exact impact of the massive dam, the construction of which began last week, is not properly known as different theories are being floated,” he mentioned.The Assam CM additionally highlighted two conflicting scientific opinions concerning the potential influence of the dam.“First — if Brahmaputra’s flow is disturbed by China, then there may be less water and consequently biodiversity will be affected. But there is also a counter view that if less water comes, it will also act as a flood cushioning. So, I don’t know which one is correct,” he mentioned.He expressed confidence within the Union authorities’s dealing with of the matter. “I am sure that they (Centre) must already be having a discussion with China or will have a discussion with the neighbouring country,” he added.China started constructing the $167.8 billion hydropower mission on July 19 in Nyingchi City, Tibet, near the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese premier Li Qiang attended the groundbreaking ceremony of what’s anticipated to be the most important infrastructure mission on this planet — larger even than the Three Gorges Dam.The dam will probably be constructed on the decrease reaches of the Brahmaputra, often known as the Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet. The web site lies in one of many rainiest and most seismically lively areas of the world and sits alongside a tectonic plate boundary susceptible to earthquakes.According to studies, the mission will function 5 cascading hydropower stations and generate over 300 billion kWh of electrical energy yearly — sufficient to fulfill the wants of over 300 million individuals.The mission has raised critical considerations in India and Bangladesh, each downstream nations, because it may give China the power to manage the river’s movement. In instances of pressure, this management could possibly be used strategically by releasing or withholding water, probably inflicting floods or shortages.India, too, is developing a dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh as a part of its efforts to counterbalance China’s management upstream.